Recovery from drought stress in Lolium perenne (Poaceae): are fungal endophytes detrimental?

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Abstract
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a cool‐season, perennial species widely used for forage and turf. It is often infected by a clandestine, endophytic fungus (Neotyphodium lolii) that has the potential to affect host growth responses to abiotically stressful conditions. In some species, the grass‐endophyte symbiosis is mutualistic, but the relationship is reported to be contingent on environmental conditions and host genotype in L. perenne. The objective of this research was to determine the potential effects of endophyte infection on recovery from severe drought stress in variable genotypes of a perennial ryegrass cultivar. Sixteen infected (+E) and 16 uninfected (−E) ramets were planted in the greenhouse for each of 10 ryegrass genotypes. Eight +E and eight −E plants per genotype were exposed to three sequential droughts where water was withheld for 11–14 d, resulting in L. perenne and its endophyte primarily benefits the fungus, not the host, under many environmental conditions.